My End of Year Rant*

I have a device in my cell phone
Insuring I will never get lost.
And yet, that is precisely
What I want to be.
I yearn to go somewhere
Where the street names
Local scenes
And stuff of life
Are completely unfamiliar.

I am weary of spirit
Living in a world
With vanishing edges
Where everything
Even regional accents
Have been homogenized.

You can sleep in any hotel
Eat in any restaurant
(With or without a "Drive Thru Window")
Watch any newscast
Shop any mall
And you could be
Anywhere in America.

The points of the compass
Are nothing but reference points
Without cultural significance.

The athletes on any pro team
All come from other states
Even other countries
Attracted not by regional pride
But by dollar signs.

I was born out of time.

I am supposed to be on horseback
Somewhere west of St. Louis
And south of Des Moines.

I am supposed to live without
House slippers
Microwaves
A GPS
Laptops
Cell phones
And toll booths.

I know
I know…
Life would be difficult
Hazardous
Full of privation.

That’s okay.
It would also be a life of flavor
Of passion
And purpose.

That’s all I have to say.
Now..…is there anything on television
On any of my 948 channels?


* This is not a poem. I never intended it be. It is a rant. Every so often I push one button too many, and get all out of sorts. Life is far too fast. I just micro-waved a cup of water (90 seconds, on high) in order to make a cup of instant coffee. And, to make it worse, I got upset that it took me nearly two full minutes (120 seconds, by gosh!) to produce my coffee. That's the moment I got all "electrified" inside, so I wrote the above. It ain't pretty. It ain't no poem. It ain't memorable, and will never be shown to anybody after you read it. This is just my way of flipping out. I'll be okay....and that's mostly the problem. I'll get over it.